JOHN BELUSHI, IN THE BEST OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

There once was a comedian called Belushi. Who was a man who did not like to eat sushi. He liked drugs instead – which is why he ended up dead – and they played songs at his funeral by Du’ Busi. Want to know more? Then watch this 78-minute sketch compilation produced in 2004 (ok, 2005).
Guest starring: Dan Aykroyd, Elliott Gould, Bill Murray, Steve Martin,
Chevy Chase, plus many, many more.

This feature length presentation showcases the erstwhile
talents of the late great comedian, John Belushi, during his five year tenure
on the American comedy show, ‘Saturday Night Live’. Within this program, there
are skits such as:

Vito
Corleone in Therapy – The Godfather illustrates how he feels about the
death of his son, by sticking an orange in his mouth and fainting.

The
Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise – or also known as ‘NBC: Another
cancellation’.

Cheeseburger-Cheeseburger-Cheeseburger
– No coke, only pepsi. No fries, only chip. No silence, only laugh.

Don't
Look Back In Anger – An elderly John Belushi recollects why he is the only
living member alive from the cast of Saturday Night Live.

Superhero
Party – This skit asks the pertinent questions: Does Hulk mistakenly c*rp
on Invisible Woman? Why does the Flash forget Ant-Man? And what happens
when Superman finds out that Lois Lane
once slept with the Hulk?

Now in addition to this, there is also: (1) John Belushi’s screen
test for the show. (2) A interview that John and Dan made relating to their
film, ‘Neighbours’. And (3) A retrospective account by family, friends, and
colleges, on how John was as a man, as a performer, and as a talent that will
surely be missed.

THE REVIEW:

Now I know that this may seem strange, but I first saw John
Belushi whilst I was in a music lesson at school. My music teacher, Mr Preston,
was a lover of the blues you see – and he wanted to share his admiration for
this type of music, by playing to us – his class – a video, called the ‘Blues
Brothers’. OK, I have to admit, I did not really understand why Mr Preston did
this at the time – I just presumed that he did not want to teach us anything
that particular day, so we got a ‘free lesson’ instead, and just enjoyed a
‘funny movie’.

Boy. Was I wrong. Not in a bad way of course. I liked the
movie. Yet in addition to this, I was introduced to two people who would
change my life forever more ‘The Blues Brothers’.

“And why was that?” you may ask yourself. "Just how did the Blues Brothers change my
life?". Well, I had a slight eye problem that affected my appearance, because –
on occasion – I had to wear dark glasses and a hat, just to shield my sensitive
eyes from the sun (still do in fact). Therefore, when I saw Dan and John look
the same as I did -- in a manner of speaking -- I thought to myself ‘I could be
cool, just like them’. Kind of.

OK, I know that this may sound strange also, but if truth be
told, that moment gave me hope where my appearance was concerned – and the rest
is now history.

Oh! And whilst I am on the topic of ‘history’ (what a nice
segway), I can now tell you about my views on this feature ‘John Belushi: The
Best of Saturday Night Live’.

So, was it any good?

YES!

And why was it good?

BECAUSE I SAID SO – NOW
P*SS OFF!

Just kidding. This program has some very nice sketches in
it, all of which brought a smile to my face all the way through. The Samurai –
Brando – Cheeseburger-Cheeseburger-Cheeseburger – Joe Cocker – and many, many
more – all of them just illustrating the talent that John, plus his co-stars,
had, which made them the legends they are. Moreover, I really liked
the supplementary material too – as they all gave this feature a more pertinent
and revealing tone to it, while at the same time recounting the rise and the
fall of this amazing Armenian anarchist.

My own personal favourite segments to ‘John Belushi: The
Best of Saturday Night Live’, are as follows. Initially, I loved how
‘Cheeseburger-Cheeseburger-Cheeseburger’ had no logic to it at all – yet
simultaneously was just funny to watch. Next, was ‘Don't Look Back in Anger’ –
because it was almost a perverse mirror image of how John’s life didn’t turn
out – he died, and the rest didn’t. After that, I loved the ‘Superhero Party’ –
well – I am a comic book fan, huh? And finally, I enjoyed the interview section
– as all the interviews, even though tinged with sentimentality, did come
across as being honest and frank, without any grandstanding conveyed.

However, if I did have a slight niggle with this program –
and I do mean slight – it would have to be that I would have liked to have
seen the interviews and supplementary sections amalgamated within the skit part
of this show. That way, a story could have been told – aided by additional
commentary – thus making this feature fuller in content.

Granted, I could just be talking sh*t – as I have been know
to do that at times – and my presumptions could just be that – presumptions.
Still, apart from this minuscule gripe, overall, this skit compilation was a
great one to watch. It was funny – it was insightful – it was heartfelt – and
it was just, SMASHING!

So if you are a fan of John Belushi? What are you waiting
for? Cheeseburger-Cheeseburger-Cheeseburger?